


Set Ablaze

by SpiritWorld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:49:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26381422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritWorld/pseuds/SpiritWorld
Summary: “It’s been half an hour, Mordred! I can’t even light a candle and that’s the easiest spell!” Daegal declared loudly, his hands now pulled away from his face, but his gaze still fixed firmly on the table's surface. “Maybe I am just bad at magic.”Daegal feels dicouraged and Mordred tries to help him with learning magic without letting his moderatemassivecrush get in the way.
Relationships: Daegal & Mordred (Merlin), Daegal/Mordred (Merlin)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 50





	Set Ablaze

**Author's Note:**

> Morgal has so much potential. It just does.

“ _Bryne,_ ” Daegal whispered, hand stretched out before him palm open and facing the unlit candle perched on the table.

Nothing.

“Again,” Mordred said firmly from beside him.

“ _Bryne!”_ Daegal shouted, screwing his eyes shut and overextending his arm dramatically to an almost painful degree. He heard a gasp from the Knight beside him and a smile stretched along his features. He’d done it! Finally! Excitement bubbled up inside him and he opened his eyes, expecting to see a bright flame flickering before his eyes. The smile that had so quickly formed on his face fell just as fast when he saw the candle hovering slightly above the table.

“It’s floating. That has to be a good sign,” Mordred smiled at him, patting him on the back.

“Oh, I meant to set it on fire not make it float,” Daegal whined letting his head fall into his hands in frustration.

“We can try again, Daegal,” the Knight attempted to reassure him. He assumed the frustrated groan that wrangled its way out of the young man’s throat was meant to be a no.

“It’s been half an hour, Mordred! I can’t even light a candle and that’s the easiest spell!” Daegal declared loudly, his hands now pulled away from his face, but his gaze still fixed firmly on the tables surface. “Maybe I _am_ just bad at magic.”

Mordred’s eyes softened at the comment, his face now mirroring Daegal’s in dejection. There had to be something he could say. Anything.

His eyes widened by a fraction as he realized he hadn’t truly been watching Daegal trying to cast the spell. He had spent his time staring at the stubborn candle that stood before them. He had wanted to… keep an eye on it. It had nothing to do with the fact that looking directly at Daegal for extended periods of time made his stomach do those weird flips or rendered his speech incoherent at best. That was most certainly _not_ the reason and _not_ something the young Knight had become increasingly aware of a few weeks prior.

“Try again,” he said more confidently this time, willing himself to look at Daegal who had turned to him at the sound of his voice. The look of confusion that flooded his features proved to amuse him. His scrunched-up nose and raised eyebrow made him look almost ~~definitely~~ endearing.

“Mordred-”

“Please, try again,” he whispered, pushing every ounce of confidence he had left into his voice. Daegal continued to stare at him as if he’d grown a second head, and he wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole just to make the moment pass by faster. It might be less awkward that way, he mused. After a few uncomfortably silent seconds, Daegal sat up once again in his seat, sighing as he stretched out his hand once more.

He could not believe he hadn’t seen it before. It was evident that the man sat next to him was focusing too intensely on the task before him, shoulders visibly tight and arm as rigid as a jousting pole. Mordred swallowed down his nerves, getting up from where he was sat to move to stand behind his friend.

“You are too tense, try to relax,” he suggested, bringing one hand down to rest on his shoulder and placing the other on his elbow to adjust his pose. Mordred could feel the muscles in his body relax under his hand, the young man’s arm no longer stretched out straight ahead but at an angle. “Ok, now breathe, and try again.”

Daegal closed his eyes slowly, consciously keeping the muscles in his face loose as he exhaled his next word.

“ _Bryne.”_ The unmistakable sound of a flame flickering to life followed his command and his eyes shot open to view the lit candle. After only a second, the flame went out and smoke appeared where the small fire had once been. He rose quickly from his seat to stand beside Mordred, eyes wide and mouth hung half open in amazement. He turned to face the Knight, his look of disbelief instantaneously morphing into one of pure joy. Mordred swore the smile that split across the other man’s face would be the death of him.

“I’ve almost got it!” Daegal exclaimed, laughing. Mordred averted his eyes again, taking a sudden interest in a stack of books Gaius had left laying out on his worktable. He’d always wanted to learn more about… herbs.

“Again,” Mordred said absentmindedly. Daegal nodded, stretching his hand out again in the same stiff manner as before. Mordred chuckled quietly under his breath, moving to fix his posture again. They were closer now, the young knight’s chest nearly pressed against the apprentice’s back as he adjusted the positioning of his arm once more. He could practically feel the man vibrating with excitement in front of him.

“ _Bryne._ ” The flame leapt to life again, this time stronger and more lively than the previous attempt. Both men watched as the fire continued to burn, showing no sign of going out any time soon. Daegal laughed victoriously, turning around quickly to face Mordred who hadn’t moved from where he was stood. The space between them was nearly non-existent now. Daegal’s breath mingled with his when he exhaled. Had his eyelashes always looked like that?

His mind screamed at him to move away, to step back and congratulate him on a job well done and leave it be. The wide smile plastered on Daegal’s face gradually waned, settling into a more reserved, content smile. He could not look away, green eyes staring into his expectantly, waiting on some kind of response. Mordred found words were not coming to him easily at the moment.

“Thank-“ Daegal began, deciding to break the silence on his own. Mordred realized belatedly, as his mind caught up with his body, that the other man had only stopped speaking because he had leaned forward to capture his lips with his own.

They were kissing.

_He was kissing Daegal._

After a split second of uncertainty, Daegal began to kiss him in return, eyes falling shut as he let his arms wander to Mordred’s side, awkwardly grasping at the chainmail he had still been wearing that afternoon. The kiss was sweet and slow and bright and- wait, why was it so bright?

He felt Daegal pull back first, face flushed a deep red as he turned around to face the table again.

“Mordred, put it out!” The situation unfolding in front of him finally clicked as he realized that the flame on the candle had surged, lighting a nearby stack of papers on fire. Daegal had done magic subconsciously he realized, torn between being deeply impressed and panicking.

“Oh no, Merlin’s going to kill me!” Panicking it was.

“ _For-“_ Mordred began, focusing his magic on the blazing fire before him that, if left unstopped, would spread throughout the rest of the physician’s chambers. He missed the sound of the door opening, a certain sorcerer making his way into the room.

“Daegal could you- why is there a fire?!” Oh no. Not him. Not now. Mordred turned just in time to see the man’s eyes flash gold, the fire disappearing into thin air. The only evidence of its existence was the charred pieces of paper he desperately hoped were of no great importance.

“Mordred,” Merlin greeted, voice short and curt.

“Hello, Emrys,” Mordred replied sheepishly, keeping his eyes trained on the ground.

“Care to explain or would you like to leave?” Merlin muttered through gritted teeth, an eyebrow raised as if to challenge him. Mordred found suddenly that he wished the giant scorpions in the forest had just eaten him whole on their last expedition.

“I will see you tonight?” Daegal suggested quietly, face still a light shade of red. Mordred turned his gaze to him, their eyes meeting briefly. They exchanged small smiles before looking away again. His heart leapt at the proposition, a new sense of hope blooming within him. He nodded once, hand brushing slightly against Daegal’s before he headed for the door.

“Goodbye, Daegal. Emrys,” he replied, clearing his throat as his voice cracked midway through. He left Gaius’ chambers quickly, making his way towards the training grounds. Hopefully wailing on a target would help him escape the crushing embarrassment flooding his body in waves.

He brought a hand to his lips as he walked through the courtyard, the feel of Daegal’s lips pressed firmly against his still lingering. His stomach began to do those odd flips again as a small smiled pulled at that corner of his mouth. Tonight. Daegal had said that he was still willing to see him tonight. Maybe almost burning down Gaius’ chambers was worth it.

He wouldn’t express that particular sentiment to Emrys anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> A prompt fill for @Colinmorgans on Tumblr. Comments and kudos appreciated.


End file.
